Judges grant adoptions to same-sex couples in Wisconsin

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Judges grant adoptions to same-sex couples in Wisconsin

MADISON (AP) — At least two Dane County judges have granted adoptions by same-sex couples, thereby recognizing their marriages.

In the latest case Wednesday, Kat Riley adopted the 2-year-old biological daughter of her partner, Teresa Riley. And, Teresa Riley adopted her spouse’s 4-year-old biological son. The Rileys were married in Iowa last year.

Now both children have two parents, instead of one parent and one legal guardian, and have rights including inheritance and death benefits. The State Journal (http://bit.ly/1rXX8o6 ) reports Dane County Circuit Judge Shelley Gaylord says she was bound to recognize the Rileys’ marriage as valid because of the Constitution’s equal protection clause, which requires states to honor each other’s laws.

The adoptions were granted a day after Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court ruling that Wisconsin’s gay marriage ban is unconstitutional.